White Night: Formica Formations
Evoking fond memories of the Formica dining suite your parents
had when you were young - the one with the metal legs and the
two-tone bench top and vinyl chairs - this exhibition celebrates
the world's love affair with the eternally durable Formica through
a grown-up exposé of furniture - and quite unlike any your mother
used to own.
Open on White Night, 12 March, 1:30pm -
11:00pm
Lower NZI Foyer, Aotea Centre, 50 Mayoral Drive
Enter the world of Formica Formations™, an extraordinary
collection of sculptured chairs created by nine world-renowned
architects, each challenged to design a chair for sitting, lying or
playing upon. Using 420m2 of Formica laminates, the
result is a visually stunning collection of chairs from
museum-worthy sculptures to gritty functional domestic
pieces. Debuting in 2008 when Formica collaborated with the
Centre for Contemporary Arts in Cincinnati, the collection includes
works by Jaime Velez, part of the team designing Dubai's Burj
Khalifa - the tallest building in the world. Valez's
Dancing Line is made from a single laminate sheet flirting
curves in places you would not expect of the traditionally flat
Formica.
Architectural Pritzker prize winner, Zaha Hadid, designed
Cirrus using polished black laminate reminiscent of a
gleaming opal. As you move around the piece, the seat's views
and angles morph into another. The original chair fetched
US$200,000 at auction.
Come along for the best seat in the house.
formicaformations.co.nz
Image Credit: Zaha Hadid, Cirrus,
2008, Polished black laminate
